STAND. COM. REP. NO. 586

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 591

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 591 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to reduce the number of uninsured individuals in the State by requiring insurers that offer health care coverage to the regular employees of any group or association to offer the same coverage to part-time employees working at least 15 hours per week.  It further requires the Insurance Commissioner to report to the Legislature on the costs and benefits of this measure.

 

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.  Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by Kaiser Permanente.  Comments on this measure were submitted by Hawaii Medical Service Association.

 

     Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that a significant number of uninsured people in Hawaii are part-time workers.  This measure will fill a void in the Prepaid Health Care Act by requiring health plans to offer group coverage to employers for part-time employees who work at least 15 hours per week.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion on this matter; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 591, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 591, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair